Liquid meter



Aug. 1, 11945.

J. A. SWlNl jLE LIQUID METER Filed Sept. 20, 1943 INYENTOR.

J v v Q JASwmd/e BY wdsfi A TTORNEY modified construction.

Patented Aug. 21, 1945 UNITED-STATES PATENT OFF '1 r 2,383,226 L U E ER 5 claims.

, My invention relates to a, meter and more particularly to a liquid meter having rotors operated by pressure of the liquid,

'Ihe principal object of the invention is to provide simple, effective means to prevent trapping ofliquid between membersof therotors and thereby avoid locking the meter during operation.

a Otherobjects of the inventionare toprovide rotors for a liquid meter that are closely interfitting andtoprovide means on theinterfitting members to keep the surfaces of the, members to crush relatively small foreign mat clean and "A furtherobjectis to'provide means for equalizin pressure on oppositesidesof packing employed in the present construction. t

My inventionalso has for'its objects to provide such meansthat are positive in operation,

convenient injuse, easily installed in aworking "position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority andv serviceability.

The invention alsocomprises novel ,de tailsoi construction and novel combinations ,andarrangementsl o f parts, which will more fully appear in lthe course, of t the following description.

(Fig. 4 is an enlargedbroken section of a ferring more detail to the drawing, the reference number" 4 generally designates a housing having ports 5 and Eat opposite sides of i r =JohnA.,S windle, Whittier, Calif. "A p pl ication September 20, 1943, Serial No. 503,013

The pockets 9 are separated by, an elliptical bridge member III in the heads. {The elliptical members III are connected by relatively narrow ends of theshafts. a t Any suitable counter mechanism may beem- 'ployed in the housing 22 for measuring the quantity of liquid passingthrough the ,meter, and any suitable-i dial face maybe provided for e itudinal, section ,taken, on the thehousingh One of the ports is to be used-for ,aninlet and the other for' an outlet The direc tion of now is immaterial; since the present ,meter will operate whether the flow isfromthe port 5 to theport 6, or vice versa.

, Head members 1 and 8 are bolted upon the housing 4 at opposite.sideswthereofi Eachqof the head members has pockets or recesses 9 which are substantially isoscelesptrapezoids in allongitudinal section, as best shown in Fig. 1.

including pipe scale, etc. It will be noted that all of necks l2 endwise of the elliptical portions, which are narrow portions extending along the line connecting the centers of the ,interfitting gears. The narrow necks l2 separate thepockets 9 but are restricted in, width in order to avoid trapping liquid that would lockthe meter.

Gears l3 and I have closely interfittingteeth 'l5uprovided with serrated tips I6 that move closely enough to the sides and in between the teeth on the opposite gean so as to keep the opposite gear teeth clean and to crush relatively small matter lodged between thegears, thereby preventing the accumulation the surfaces on the gear teeth are arcs ortangents of arcs, and that the gears operate substantially upon the axes of the curves of the inner, end faces .oi the with the open area betweenthe tooth roots of vthe opposite engaged gear. The gears l3 and I4 are keyed to shafts l1 and [8, whereby rotation of the gears is transmitted to theshafts. The shafts Hand 18 rotate in packing glands I5 at oppositeends of the shafts. Roller bearings 20 journal the ends of, the shafts. Cap plates 2| close the bearing races and, cover the registering such quantity; Since the counter mechanismand dial per se do not form parts of the present invention, andsincesuitable constructions of; same are" known to those skilled in the art, detailed; showing and description of same'are deemed umiecessary. r

In Fig. 4 isiillustrated a modified construction igr the bosses 24 :that house the packing glands glands l9 and packing 38, as before, but the bearings 26" are preferably spaced inward from theouterend of, the boss 25, as shown in Fig. 4.: The bearings 26, aremounted inraces 21 that permit lubricant to now therethrough, past the bearings.

Chambers 28 and 29 are provided within each boss 25 at both sides of the bearings 26. The

of ,ioreign. matter,

These modified bosses 25 house the packing chamber 29 is connected with a fitting 30 of conventional form known to those skilled in the artvex end plate 34 forms a pocket 35 with the plate A flexible diaphragm 36 is interposed be- A conduit 3'lcon- 32. tween the plates 32 and 34.

nects the pocket 35 with the interior of the hOUSr-J ing 4.

vided with obstruction removing means, a housing It is to be understood that each of the bosses 24 may be modified in accordance with the fore;

going. I I r In the operation of my present invention, it is believed clear that'there is positive displacement,

soth'at there is an'actual measureof fluid pass-' ing through'my present'met'er. 7

Liquid coming into the housingflows' against the side of the gear teeth and fills the pockets 9' at the incoming sidefof the housing} Further introduction of liquid; into the housing effects rotation of the gear teeth, since'there ismore surface tending'to rotatothe gears in the desired direction than tending to" resist it. In theproportionsshown in the drawing,- there is approximately twice as muchpressure'tendin'g to rotate, as there is to resist rotation; Liquid trapped by V the gear teeth is carried around with'the' teeth. After the liquid passes the centerand fills the other side of the hOllSihgit'fillsdlhB pc'ckets 'ii on the outlet side; and continued pressure on the inletside produces a measured discharge on-the outlet side The "amount 0i liquid passing through the meter will be indicated 'by the dial operated by thecounter mechanism. I l The pockets 9 together with the narrow necks l2- prevent my meter from trapping liquid'that will lock the gear teeth in position, since liquid caught in the curves between the gear teeth is effectively pushed into'the pockets'Q 1 1 Normally at the'start ofoperation,-thediaphragm 36 is against the-end plate 34,'with the pocket 35, between the diaphragm and the dished plate '32,"full of grease Of course; "pressure on the inside of the housing 4 bears against the inside'of the packing 38, but the same pressure passes through the conduit 37-,'which causes'the diaphragm to exert a similarpressure-upon the grease between the diaphragm-and the plate 32 and in the chambers Y28 and "29; thus equaliaing the pressure'o'n opposite sides' -of the packing. This combination of .parts' thereby materially lengthensthe effective li-f-e'of'the packing. i

While I have illustrated and described what'I now regard as thepreferred embodiment of my invention, the construction is; ofcourse, subject to modifications without departing from the spirit andscope of my invention. .lLtherefore, do not wish to restrict myself .to th'e' particular form of. construction illustrated and described, but de sire to avail myself of all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having. thus described: my invention, What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1 1. In a liquid meter,;cse,.interfitting gears having enlarged, curved tooth ends provided with reduced, connections-with the bodies of: :the gears,

. to apply pressure and having curved surfaces between the gear teeth closely interfitting the enlarged tooth ends of the opposite gear teeth, the gears having par ticle crushing serrations at their tips arranged to move in orbits in close proximity to the sides of teeth on the opposite gear and a housing for the gears having inlet and outlet ports.

2. In a liquid meter for operating counting mechanism, close, interfitting gears having enlarged tooth tips,xthe engaging and close, interfitting surfaces of the gears being arcs and tangents of arcs and the sides and enlarged tips of the teeth of each gear closely interfitting with the sides and roots of the teeth on the other gear, the,

enlarged portion of the teeth of said gears profor the gears having inlet and outlet ports, closure plates 'for saidhousing having chambers recessed therein, and means operatively connected with the gears to drive mechanism counting the revolutions of the gears. I

3. Sealing means for a liquid meter foroperating counting mechanism having, a' housing, meshing gears rotatably mounted" within the housing and means connected with vthegears to drive mechanism counting the revolutionsoi the gears, and shafts for thegears, comprisingpack ing for each shaft, and means'to 'ecma'li'zethe pressure on opposite sides of the packing'c'om prising a chamber outside of'b'ut c'onnected'with the packing for holding a supply of grease by which to apply outside pressure tothe' packing, spaced bearings in the chamber. journaling the shaft but spaced to permit grease to pass therebetween, concavo-convex plates closing the outer end of the chamber, the concave. faces. off the plates facing each other to provide apo'cke't, the inner plateh'aving a passage connecting the pocket with said chamber, a flexible diaphragmin the pocket movable to apply pressure upon grease in the pocket, and conduit means connectedwith the interior ofthe' housing and with thepocket at the outer face of the diaphragm.

4. Sealing means for a liquidme'ter for 'o'prat-' ing counting mechanism having a housing, me ing gears rotatablymounted'witlfin the housin and. means associated. withfsaidgears to drive mechanism counting the revolutionsjof said gears and shafts for the gears, comprising packing in each shaft, and means to equalize. the pressure on opposite sides of the packing-,frcomprisihg .a chamber outside of but connectediivith season'sing .the packing for holding asu piyier grease by which'to apply outside pressurefto' thepacliiiig, bearings in said chamber .iourna'ling'jsaid shaft, a chamber closing the "end of said first-named chamber and having communication ,withsaid chamber; a flexible 'diaphragli j'inljs'aid' second chamber movable to applypressure'upon grease in the chamber, andcondu'itj'means connected with the interior of the housing'an connected ph m- I r 5'. In a liquid meter, "a housing; close flinterfiting gears therein having enlarged. curvedjtooth ends and curved surfaces between the 'gearteeth closely interfitting the enlargedtooth'ends ofopposite gear teeth. the gearshaving serrations arranged to move'inclose proximity to-the sides-of the teeth on the oppositegear, said'housingl-iaving an inlet and an outlet, an -spaced-cliafnbers communicating with the inlet 'andoutlet;

' Joanna-swarm ng.

tothe outer i'aceI-of the dia- V 

